PM Modi praises Vizag for its efforts to go plastic free

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in his ‘Mann Ki Baat‘ speech aired on All India Radio (AIR) last Sunday gave a special mention of the efforts by Vizag to make the city plastic-free. A proud moment for the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and the people of Vizag, as their efforts have been recognised. The extensive campaign which kick-started on 1 February 2022, aims to promote the use of cloth and jute bags as a part of the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ launched by the Prime Minister back in 2014.

The Prime Minister praised the people of Vizag for their collective efforts to create mindful awareness about the harmful effects of single-use plastic. In line with the Government of India, to solve the problems of sanitation and waste management by ensuring hygiene, the GVMC Chief Medical Officer Dr KSLG Sastry said, ” The mission aims to create awareness among the public and traders. We have already sent notices to supermarkets and malls to refrain from using plastic bags. Alternatives such as cloth bags, jute bags, and bio-degradable bags are being promoted to replace single-use plastic.” He also added that they plan to create awareness and simultaneously enforce the implementation process. The team also plans to impose fines on those who do not adhere to the rules.

The initial stages of GVMC’s effort of creating awareness include taking the help of school students to paint cloth and jute bags with a competitive spirit.  “ We thank Prime Minister Modi for his special mention on Mann Ki Baat of our efforts which will boost the spirit of our staff to work harder towards making Vizag plastic-free,” said the motivated GVMC Chief Medical Officer.